CREATIVE WRITTING CONTEST. HEALTH TALK ON THE IMPORTANCE OF ANTENATAL CLINIC

Hello steemians, I will love to talk to us of the importance Antenatal Clinic ANC)
ANC refer to the care given to women by a health care provider (the midwife) to a pregnant woman before delivery. I will love to really dwell on this because most men don't see the importance of their wife's going for ANC early enough. They see it as wastage of money.

Firstly, it is very important to start clinic as early as possible so that we can early diagnose and treat pathologies through physical examination and lab test. When a woman starts clinic immediately she missed her period, we have some series of lab test which are done on this woman. Some of which are HIV, pregnancy test, protein urea, her blood level just to name a few. With this lab test done, if she has any problem, she will immediately be placed on treatment. For instance, if a woman is diagnosed HIV positive, she will immediately be placed on option B+ in order to reduce mother to child transmission of HIV through the placenta. Again, she does and ecography. This is to be sure that the baby is sitting on the right place and to confirm that she is really pregnant (note that not all women who miss their period are pregnant and not all positive pregnancy test confirm pregnancy. It might equally mean she has an infection). So the first ecography is very very important.

Secondly, it is very important to attend ANC to enhance health promotion through health talk. When a woman attend clinic, she is given health talks on very pertinent point which concern the woman. For instance, the importance of good hygiene, feeding during pregnancy, danger signs in pregnancy just to list a few. Most people know that when a woman is pregnant she should eat good food. The more reason why when a woman tells her husband she is pregnant, everyday when coming back, he brings pork meat, roasted fish etc. It is then you see women eating without control just because she thinks needs to feed well. At the end of the pregnancy, we fine ourselves with big babies which can not pass through the vagina which leads to operation. What I am simply trying to say is during pregnancy, eating a balance diet is very important. Each stage of pregnancy has it's own class of food to eat and not just concentrate on protein.

To continue, it is important to attend ANC in order to prepare for labour and delivery. Most women especially those pregnant for their first time do not know the signs of labour and what to put in your emergency bag. Everybody knows you just feel pain. At ANC health talk is given on the signs of labour. Some of these signs are blood mixed with cata coming out through the vagina ( we call it show), water coming out through the vagina. Note that with these two signs you might not feel pain. So immediately you see any of those signs, please rush to any nearby hospital. Just of recent, my neighbor loss her twins because she did not go to the hospital immediately. She was expecting pain before she goes to the hospital. She asked my opinion on whether to go to the hospital or not about 2 days after she saw those signs. I quickly asked her to rush to the hospital. Unfortunately it was already late because the children already died.

Further more, it is very important to attend ANC to be able to follow up the progress of pregnancy through physical examination and ecography. Normally, a woman is supposed to be adding weight in the course of her pregnancy. So when a woman goes for clinic, physical examination is carried out on her to be sure she is doing fine. At the level of the stomach, the shape is checked, featal movements examined, the presence of linear nigra and strae gravidarum ( popularly known as stretch marks). Ecography is also requested to know if the baby is growing well and any form of malformation detected.

To add, it is important to attend ANC for the mother to prepare for Parenthood. Mind preparation is always very important. She has to be aware of the changes she will have immediately she gives birth. The coming of the baby will change alot in her life. In most circumstances, the woman divert all her attention to the baby and forget about the husband. The husband become vulnerable to other women outside. So preparation to Parenthood is very important as it helps the woman to to adjust well and welcome her new born baby.

As a summary, It is important to attend ANC because;

• Early diagnosis and treatment of pathologies through physical exam and lab test
• health promotion through health education
• Preparation for labour and delivery
• follow up of the progress of pregnancy, physical exam and echography
• preparation for Parenthood
  With all these important reasons a woman should start her ANC as early as possible. And it's advice to attend at least 8 visit before birth and 3 ecography (WHO recommendation) this will go a long way to reduce maternal and neonatal deaths. I believe with this talk, our men will greatly support the woman financially to be able to attend our clinic on time

YOUR HUMBLE HEALTH ADVISER

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